Berlin – The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), in consultation with the Ministry of Health, has drawn up an emergency list for pediatric medicines that could become scarce in the coming infection season. In the event of a supply shortage, these medicines can be imported from abroad and placed on our market with foreign-language packaging and package inserts.
Bork Bretthauer, Managing Director of Pro Generika, says: “This is the admission: the bottleneck law ALBVVG is not enough. The BMG switches to emergency mode and thus recognizes that all measures taken so far are ineffective.”
It was only in early summer that Health Minister Karl Lauterbach announced in a press conference that the ALBVVG would be able to eliminate the shortage of children’s medicines “in one fell swoop”. Bretthauer: “Anyone who calls out the shortage now has recognized too late: Nothing improves immediately.”
For Bretthauer, the ALBVVG needs to be improved immediately. “A price increase and the elimination of discount agreements for children’s medicines was an important first step. However, this enables production to just cover costs. It does not set any incentives for more companies to produce children’s medicines again. And only that can make our supply safer.”
With a view to the bottlenecks to be expected, Bretthauer says: “Our companies produce around the clock so that bottlenecks do not recur. The Ministry of Health apparently does not want to experience a shortage again. BMG and traffic light fractions must finally find solutions that have a more sustainable effect than having to buy medicines away from other countries with hectic decisions. This is crisis mode again – and not a strategy to improve the situation.”
In the first edition of the Pro Generika newsletter “Health for all”, we examine the causes, background and solutions to the problem of drug shortages. Stay well informed and register here!
Pro Generika is the association of generic and biosimilar companies in Germany. We represent the interests of its members who develop, manufacture and market generics and biosimilars. The use of generics and biosimilars saves important financial resources in the healthcare system – while maintaining the high quality of drug supply. Generics and biosimilars thus ensure that patients have sustainable access to modern medicines.